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Police-Coached Baseball Teams Boost Kids' Opinions Of Officers, Survey Says

By Andrea V. Watson | August 10, 2017 6:02am | Updated on August 15, 2017 11:39am
 Sammya Ellis, 12, said she enjoys playing sports and likes being a part of the Englewood Police Youth Baseball League.
Sammya Ellis, 12, said she enjoys playing sports and likes being a part of the Englewood Police Youth Baseball League.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

ENGLEWOOD — Players who take part in Police Youth Baseball leagues have improved perception of officers as well as themselves, a league survey found.

The Police Youth Baseball League, which operates in Englewood and North Lawndale, is funded by Get IN Chicago. It's intended to change the perception of police in neighborhoods where there has been a fractured relationship  with the community, officials said.

League officials conducted a survey in 2016 with more than 50 participants. Results showed that players had improved perceptions of police and in their own ability to make a difference in their communities, officials said.

RELATED: ENGLEWOOD YOUTH LEAGUE ABOUT 'MORE THAN BASEBALL' FOR POLICE AND COMMUNITY

“Our police youth baseball leagues have shown promise in building community trust and empowering young people," said Toni Irving, Get IN Chicago's executive director.

“These young people are gaining more than just baseball skills; they are also cultivating positive connections who will mentor and support them this summer and beyond. The police-youth baseball collaborative has the potential to create positive ripples throughout Englewood for years to come.”

This is the third year of the Englewood league, and the second year for North Lawndale. Teamwork Englewood and BBF Family Services, formerly Better Boys Foundation, have managed their respective programs for the last few years.

Both leagues started in April, and players participated in eight weeks of clinics. The games started in early July, six weeks into the program.

Players from Englewood and North Lawndale will participate in the first Police Youth Baseball League All-Star Game Saturday.

The 1:15 p.m. game will be held at Curtis Granderson Stadium on the UIC campus, 901 W. Roosevelt Road. Before the game, at noon, the teams will appear at a media conference, followed by the singing of the national anthem and a performance by Austin cheerleaders.

“We are extremely excited about this second season of the North Lawndale Police Youth Baseball League," said BBF Family Services President and CEO Rufus Williams. "The interest and execution of everyone involved has grown substantially, the children are engaged, and we see the rebuilding and strengthening of all aspects of our community evolving through this baseball league."

Additional Englewood Police Youth Baseball League partners include Stomping Out Drugs and Gangs, Chicago Police Athletic League, Forever Fitness Chicago, the Chicago Police Department District 7, the Chicago Park District and Cubs Charities.